Art of joining metal strips and sealing the joint.



' E E. FLORA.

ART OF JOINING-METAL STRIPS AND SEALING THE JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 26. l9l6.

Pawnted May 7,1918.

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE,

ELLSWORTI-I EIBHRAIM FLORA, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND -MEsNR ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE NATIONAL BINDING, MACHINE COMPANY, OF

NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

- ART OF JOINING METAL STRIPS AND SEALING THE JOINT.

H To cg K7217?) it may concern end-portions of metal strips, and more especially flat-metal bands or strips, as to cause the sealing medium, in the form of a helical wire-sleeve having a plurality of spaced turns and conforming in cross-section, at least approximately, to that of the strip or strips, to both effect the jOint-fastoning and seal the joint in the sense of preventing it from being opened without detection by showing evidence of tampering A further object is to provide a simple but verystrong sealed joint, at comparatively small cost, forsuch metal strips when used for binding boxes, bales, or other packages, for car-seals and other purposes.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a box bound with a fiat metal bandhaving its overlapping enclportions olned and sealed In accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view, on

a larger scale, of the sealed joint; Fig. 3 is a section on line 3, Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a broken view of the sealed joint, showing an edge view thereof, and Fig. 5 is a section on line 5, Fig. 2.

To jointogether and seal the joint of the end-portions 7 7 of a metal strip 6, they are brought into the overlapping relation illustrated. A fastener 8,, in the form of a flat tened coil of wire of round or any desired cross-section andthe turns of which are spaced {apart and preferably extend diagonally with relation to the length of the sleeve, although the same could be parallel,-

and the' other end-portion of the same is is slipped on one end-portion. of the strip,

slipped through the fastener in bringing the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 7, 1918.

Application filed September 26, 1916. Serial No. 122,214.

time pressing into their depressions the turns of the fastener.

A joint thus formed is very strong, resisting great strains when exerted to pull it apart lengthwise of the strip, since the turns of the fastener are interlocked by the jointforming corrugations of the end-portions of the strip, which present a succession of shoulders between the turns, and effectively withstand such strains. Moreover, where the turns of the fastener extend diagonally, as shown and preferred, each turn bears at one end against the corresponding end of the adjacent shoulder of the corrugation on one side of the joint, and at its opposite end against the next adjacent shoulder thereof on the opposite side of the joint, whereby strain exerted to pull apart the joined and sealed end-portions is resisted in both directions of the strain. Furthermore, the joint is materiallystrengthened by the diagonal indentations of the turns into the end-portions of the strip, since thereby each depression between successive shoulders of the corrugations flares toward one end, as indicated at 9 in Fig. 2, thus rendering the shoulders wedge-shaped and presenting an increasing width of metal toward alternate edge-portions of the strips to augment the resistance to strain tending to pull them apart;

While not considered practical it would be within my invention to first corrugate the end-portions 7 and, with the latter in overlapping and intermeshing relation, press the turns of the fastener into the corrugations.

A box 10 is represented in Fig. l to be provided with a metal band 6 fastened at its overlapping end-portions by my improved sealed joint. When the end-portions of the band and the fastener have been brought into the proper relation, pressure is applied to squeeze these parts together and indent the turns of the wire sleeve (which are shown at 10 to have thereby become sunken and flattened) into and form the intermeshing corrugations in the end-portions 7 This operation may be performed through the medium of a suitable tool; and one which has been devised for the purpose also serves to tighten the band about the box and hold it while performing the compressing operation to produce the sealed joint. As will be seen, the joint cannot be opened Without so mutilating the sealing-sleeve 8 as to render detection of tampering inevitable.

I realize that considerable variation is possible in the details of construction thus specifically shown and described, and I do not intend by illustrating a single specific, or preferred embodiment of my invention to be limited thereto; my intention being in the following claims to claim protection upon all the novelty there may be in my invention as broadly as the state of the art will permit.

What I claim asnew and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The method of joining and sealing the joint of the end portions of metal strips which consists in bringing said end portions into overlapping relation and surrounding them with a wire which winds around said strips with its turns spaced apart both longitudinally and transversely of the strips and then pressing the turns of said wire against the opposite surfaces of said end portions to permanently flatten the alternate turns of the wire into substantially the same plane and permanently corrugate said end portions with the turns of the wire in the depressions between the successive shoulder portions of the corrugations.

2. The method of joining and sealing the joint of the end portions of metal strips which consists in bringing said nd portions into overlapping relation and surrounding them with a wire which winds diagonally around said strips with its turns spaced apart both longitudinally and transversely of the strips and then pressing the turns of said wire against the opposite surfaces of said end portions to permanently flatten the alternate turns of the wire into substantially the same plane and permanently corrugate said end portions diagonally with the turns of the wire in the depressions between the successive shoulder portions of the corrugations.

. 8. The method of forming a sealed joint between metal strips which consists in bringing said metal strips together, surrounding them with a fastener consisting of longitudinally spaced transverse members with the alternate transverse members staggered t0 provide a space for receiving the metal strips, said transverse members being connected at their opposite ends to the adjacent transverse members, and then compressing said fastener in a direction tending to bring the staggered transverse members into the same plane thereby permanently corrugating the metal strips and forcing the transverse members into depressions between the successive shoulder portions of the corrugations.

4. The method of forming a sealed joint between flat metal straps which consists in bringing said straps into overlapping relation, surrounding them with a fastener consisting of longitudinally spaced transverse members with the alternate transverse members staggered to provide a space for receiving the said straps, said transverse members being connected at their opposite ends to th adjacent transverse members and then compressing said sleeve in a direction tending to bring the staggered transverse members into the same plane, thereby permanently corrugating the metal straps and forcing the transverse members into depressions between the successive shoulder portions of the corrugations.

5. A sealed joint comprising metal strips with permanent close corrugations and a sealing fastener surrounding said strips, said sealing fastener comprising a series of transvers members spaced apart longitudinally of the strips, said transverse members being connected at their opposite ends to the adjacent transverse members and lying alternately in the depressions on opposite sides of the corrugations, said transverse members lying substantially in the same plane to thereby prevent longitudinal withdrawal of the strips without permanent distortion of the strip or sealing fastener.

6. A sealed joint comprising overlapped flat metal straps with permanent corrugations in intermeshing relation and a sealing fastener surrounding said straps, said sealing fastener comprising a series of transverse members spaced apart longitudinally of the straps, said transverse members being connected at their opposite ends to the adjacent transverse members and lying alternately in the depressions on opposite sides of the corrugations, said transverse members lying substantially in the same plane to thereby prevent longitudinal withdrawal of the straps without permanent distortion of the strap or sealing fastener.

7. A sealed joint, comprising flat metalstrip end-portions in flatwise contacting relation and a wire wound around said strips with its turns spaced apart and pressedinto the opposite surfaces of said end-portions and forming in the latter permanent, closely adjacent intermeshing corrugations'with said Ill turns confined in the depressed portions between the successive shoulder-portions of the corrugations.

8. A sealed joint, comprising flat metalstrip end-portions in flatwise overlapping relation and a wire wound around said end portions With spaced diagonally extending turns indented into the opposite surfaces of Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Washington, D. C."

said end-portions, and forming in the latter permanent, closely adjacent intermeshing corrugations having outwardly flaring depressed portions in which said turns are confined between the successive shoulderportions of the corrugations.

ELLSWORTH EPHBAIM FLORA.

Patents,

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,265,188, granted May 7, 1918, upon the application of Ellsworth Ephraim Flora, of Chicago, Illinois, for an improvement in The Art of Joining Metal Strips and Sealing the Joint, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 86, claim 4, for the Word sleeve read fastener; and that the said Letters Patent should be read With this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 28th day or May, A. 1)., 1918.

[SEAL] R. F. WHITEHEAD,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

